Experiencing The Apostles’ Creed Comprehensive Companion Guide 1 For The Apostles’ Creed Full Length Version DVD Prepared by Christian History Institute with Langdon Palmer Page 1 of 105 Index for Experiencing The Apostles’ Creed, a Companion Study Guide to accompany The Apostles’ Creed Full Length Version DVD series Introduction to this Project ……………………………………………… p. 3 Scholars Included in this Program ……………………………………. p. 4 Summary of Program Sessions …………………………………………. p. 5 Suggestions for the Leader ………………………………………………. p. 8 Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed …………………………………… p. 9 Session 1 Faith of Our Fathers ………………………………………… p. 12 Session 2 Blessed Trinity ……………………………………………….. p. 19 Session 3 Abba God ………………………………………………………. p. 23 Session 4 Almighty Love ………………………………………………… p. 30 Session 5 The Maker and the Made …………………………………. p. 35 Session 6 Savior of the World ………………………………………… p. 41 Session 7 The Godman ………………………………………………….. p. 46 Session 8 The Godbearer ………………………………………………. p. 50 Session 9 Acquainted With Grief ……………………….……………. p. 55 Session 10 The Blood of His Cross …………….……………………… p. 62 Session 11 The Last Enemy Defeated ……….………………………. p. 68 Session 12 The Ascent of Man ……………………………………….... p. 72 Session 13 That Day ………………………………………………………. P. 76 Session 14 The Breath of God …………………………………………. P. 81 Session 15 The Whole Family of God ……………………………….. p. 87 Session 16 All That Debt ………………………………………………… p. 92 Session 17 The Great Retrieval ……………………………………….. p. 97 Lesson Planning Tool …………………………………………………….. p. 102 Versions of the Apostles’ Creed ………………………………………. p. 103 The Apostles’ Creed ………………………………………………………. p. 104 Related Resources ………………………………………………………… p. 105 Page 2 of 105 Introduction to Experiencing The Apostles’ Creed A Global Project As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, Christian History Institute teamed up with filmmaker T. N. Mohan to co-produce a comprehensive 17 part series on the Apostles Creed, a living link to our shared history. T. N. visited several Biblical, theological, and historical scholars and invited them to share their insights on the Creed. The Apostles’ Creed is a Universal Creed for the Universal Church, so scholars from several different Christian traditions are included. Phrase by phrase and word by word, the scholars dig into the Creed’s rich meaning, illuminating this ancient storehouse of Christian conviction. What they reveal is a living declaration of living faith that speaks to today’s issues and is as relevant for modern believers as it was for the first Christians. Two DVD Versions, Two Guide Versions Each group or individual who studies the Creed will have unique goals in mind. Some prefer a more compact introduction to the Creed, while others wish to explore the material more fully. With this in mind, we have prepared two distinct versions of the DVD material and two versions of the companion guide. The Full Length Version of the DVD contains seventeen sessions (approximately thirty-minutes each), covering each line or phrase of the Creed in depth. This DVD contains many extra features, such as session introductions by Dr. Timothy George and hymns that can enhance the learning experience. This Full Length Version DVD can be viewed with or without the Dr. George commentary, depending on the needs of the viewer. Also available on the Full Length Version DVD is a sermon series by Pastor Langdon Palmer on the Apostles’ Creed. The Comprehensive Companion Guide has been prepared to accompany these seventeen sessions. The Abridged Version of the DVD contains four thirty-minute sessions that have been carefully edited from the longer series. To accompany these four sessions we have prepared a four-session companion guide, known as the Abridged Version Companion Guide. Since the Abridged Version DVD follows roughly the same order of topics as the Full length Version (but in less detail), some find that the longer Comprehensive Version of the study materials is useful with the Abridged Version of the DVD. For this approach, simply use the Abridged Version DVD, but pause at the end of each topic and select appropriate material from the seventeen-session Comprehensive Guide. An Amazing Document and a Living Link Those who explore this series will never again see the Creed as some dry statement of tired theology, but rather as a vibrant living expression of the heart of faith, linking them to the church of the ages and the church around the world. Groups that have used this series express appreciation for the useful summary of the basics of historic Christian doctrine. So many go on to add that they had no idea of the depth of the familiar phrases of the Creed, with their use of this confession being wonderfully enriched. Theology and history come to life as every study session includes an application section that shows how the teachings of the Creed apply to everyday life and faith. Page 3 of 105 Scholars Included in this Program Rev. Richard Bewe - Former Rector, All Souls Church, London Dr. Peter Contrell - Former Principal, London School of Theology Dr. Timothy Dudley-Smith - Bishop of Salisbury Mark Galli - Managing Editor, Christianity Today Dr. William Johnson - Former Professor of New Testament, Andrews University Dr. Tony Lane - Professor of Theology, London School of Theology Dr. Martin Marty - Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago Dr. Alistair McGrath - Principal, Wycliffe College, Oxford Dr. Robert Mulholland - Professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary Susan Schreiner - Associate Professor of the History of Christianity and Theology, The Divinity School, University of Chicago Dr. Derek Tidball - Principal, London School of Theology Dr. Kallistos Ware - Bishop of Diokleia, Oxford Dr. N.T. Wright - Bishop of Durham Hosted by Dr. Timothy George, Dean Beeson Divinity School, Samford University The material in this study guide has been created with the help of Langdon Palmer, MDiv. Princeton Theological Seminary. Rev. Palmer is a pastor working in the Philadelphia area to connect a new generation to the faith of the ancient church. Page 4 of 105 Apostles’ Creed Full Length Version DVD Episode Titles, Lengths and Segment Breaks 1: “I believe” Faith of Our Fathers [34:39] Origin of the Creed Need for the Creed Creed as Defense Against Heresy A Baptismal Creed "I believe"/The Meaning of Belief The Personal Nature of Belief The Nature of Faith 2: "in God" Blessed Trinity [25:57] The Creed and the Triune God The Trinity in the Old Testament The Trinity in the New Testament The Relational Unity of the Trinity 3: “the Father" Abba God [28:39] God Our Father The Father of Jesus and Our Father 4: "Almighty" Almighty Love [36:30] Love is Almighty The Sovereignty of God and the Human Will The Sovereignty of God and Suffering 5: "Maker of Heaven and Earth" The Maker and the Made [24:22] The Source and Origin of All That Is The Creator of the Heavens Random Chance of Purposeful Creation? The Image of God The God of the Covenant The Origin of Evil Page 5 of 105 6: "and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord [39:17] Savior of the World "Jesus" "Christ" / The Anointed One "His only Son" "Our Lord” 7: "who was conceived by the Holy Spirit" [36:06] The Godman Incarnation Wings of a Dove "born of the virgin Mary" / The Virgin Birth Was Made Man The Sinless Second Adam 8: "born of the virgin Mary" The Godbearer [24:00] Jesus as a Liberator of Women 9: "suffered under Pontius Pilate" [41:28] Acquainted With Grief Pilate and the Suffering Servant 10: "was crucified, died" The Blood of His Cross [34:31] Cross He Died So We Can Live 11: "and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.” [29:56] The Last Enemy Defeated!!! The Silent Land "He descended into hell" "The third day He rose again from the dead" / He is Alive!!! 12: "He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty" [20:06] The Ascent of Man Our Intercessor 13: "From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead” [36:22] That Day The Blessed Hope of His Coming The Judgement Page 6 of 105 14: "I believe in the Holy Spirit" [35:34] The Breath of God The Comforting God 15: "the holy catholic church" The Whole Family [43:19] of God the communion of saints/cloud of Witnesses 16: “the forgiveness of sins" All That Debt [31:59] 17: "the resurrection of the body and life everlasting" [25:45] The Great Retrieval Bonus Features: Hymns of Our Fathers Sermon Series on the Creed Page 7 of 105 Suggestions for the Leader ~ Read the article Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed, found on p. 9, as a good introduction to the Creed. ~ Preview each video session several times, taking notes if possible. Encourage your class participants to also take notes while viewing. Each session presents so much information in a short time, that without note taking, it is difficult to process and recall what was presented. ~ Review the Study materials and suggested discussion questions carefully. Each session includes the following: Opening, Explore, Scripture foundation, Application and Closing. Most classes will not have enough time to cover all of the material. An un-rushed, carefully edited meeting will be more rewarding for participants than a packed one where every question was completed. A lesson-planning sheet is included on p. 102. We have numbered each item in the lessons so you can easily cross out and re-order them as you see fit. For example, if you are leading a small group of people who don’t know one another you may want to focus more on the opener, but if you are teaching an established adult education class you would be likely to spend more time in the Scripture foundation. ~ Use nametags to help group members get to know one another and to increase their comfort level.